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Reuters
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The WFP supported nearly 100 million people last year
The 2020 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) for its efforts to combat hunger.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee said the WFP “acted as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict”.
The prize is worth 10 million Swedish kronor ($ 1.1 million; £ 872,600).
The WFP, the 101st award winner, said it was “deeply humiliated”.
“This is in recognition of the work of WFP employees who risk their lives every day to provide food and aid to more than 100 million hungry children, women and men around the world,” said Twitter.
WFP chief David Beasley told the Associated Press it was “the first time in my life that I was without words”.
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This year, 211 people and 107 organizations were nominated for the award. Under the rules of the Nobel Foundation, nomination lists are banned from being published for 50 years, and the organization says speculation prior to the announcement is “pure guesswork.”
The World Health Organization and climate activist Greta Thunberg were among the favorites to win this year.
What else did the Nobel Committee say?
Chair Berit Reiss-Andersen said that with this year’s award, the Norwegian Nobel Committee would like to “turn the world’s eyes to the millions of people who are hungry or threatened by hunger”.
“The World Food Program plays a key role in multilateral cooperation to make food security an instrument of peace,” she said at a press conference in Oslo.
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Berit Reiss-Andersen announced the winner in Oslo
The Nobel Committee said Covid-19 had further increased the group’s importance.
“The coronavirus pandemic has contributed to a sharp rise in the number of hunger victims in the world,” said a statement.
“In the face of the pandemic, the World Food Program has shown an impressive ability to intensify its efforts.”
Who are former Nobel Peace Prize winners?
Last year, the Nobel Peace Prize went to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, whose peace agreement with Eritrea ended a 20-year military stalemate after the border war in 1998-2000.
Former US President Barack Obama won the 2009 award for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples”.
Other notable winners include former US President Jimmy Carter (2002); Malala Yousafzai, child-rearing activist (shared in 2014); the European Union (2012); the United Nations and its then Secretary-General Kofi Annan (shared in 2001); and Mother Teresa (1979).
What is the background?
The Nobel Prize is one of the most important awards in the world.
It was started with the first award in 1901 at the will of the Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel.
Nobel Prizes are awarded in various categories to those “who have brought the greatest benefit to mankind in the past 12 months”.
The recipient of every Nobel Prize receives three things:
- A Nobel Diploma, each of which is a unique work of art
- A nobel medal
- A cash prize that is shared between winners if there is more than one. You have to give a presentation to receive the money
There were a few years when the award was not awarded – mostly during the two world wars.
According to the rules of the Nobel Foundation, the prize is not awarded in a certain category, it is not awarded and its prize money is kept for the following year.
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